Sanyo can suck it.

kuntasensei

I had a Sanyo PLV-Z3 a few years back. At 5,500 hours, it started to get blue discolorations all over the screen. Send it in for warranty service, they replace the blue polarizer and try to rope me into a $400 cleaning because they say it's incredibly dusty. Not only has the dust filter never been dirty when I checked it, I keep that area insanely clean. I also hosed out the light path with canned air when I changed bulbs, and got nothing... so their claim of extreme dust was suspicious. I argued my way out of the cleaning charge, then sold the projector and bought a Sanyo PLV-Z2000.

So at 5,500 hours on the PLV-Z2000, the same discoloration starts happening that happened on the PLV-Z3. This time, I know they're gonna pull the dust excuse again, so I open the case and hose everything out with canned air with a vacuum hooked to the vent to pull anything out of the light path. There was nothing in the unit, and like before, the filter had never been dusty when I checked it. I send it in... they report back "blue polarizer replaced, unit was VERY dusty". But this time, they say they cleaned it for me anyway but would have to charge me next time, and they shipped it back to me. I was pissed about their lie regarding the dust, but figured as long as it came back in working order, I was good. I get it today... It won't turn on and gives a bulb warning.

So, basically... I send my working projector in, they replace the polarizer, lie to me about it being dusty inside, then the bulb magically dies in transit. I call them to ask what the hell... they say, "I'm sorry, but bulbs aren't covered under warranty. It was working when it left our facility." So I crack the bulb compartment open to see if maybe it just got unseated in transit... and I swear, I don't even think that the bulb in it is the one I had in there when I sent in. The one I had in there had a white streak in the plastic - this one has no markings.

So yeah, F#$K Sanyo. The irony is that I was getting it repaired so I could find someone to buy it, since I've already replaced the Sanyo with an Epson 8500UB. I'm going to put the original bulb back in it and make sure it works okay, then I'll sell it off to someone on the cheap so they can afford to get a new bulb for it. But if you're considering buying a new Sanyo projector, DON'T. The projector itself works great... but their service department are a bunch of liars and do everything they can to try to screw you.

exalted512

Thats pretty shady. I would have taken pictures of it while it was apart with a piece of paper and the date on it and emailed it to them when they said it was dusty.

Thats really shady. Hope it works out for you.
-Cody

j allen

Interesting. The only Sanyo products I've really had good experiences with are their cell phones, and that's more from them being insanely easy to use than actually being better than their competitors.

edit: Hope you have better luck, now that you're moving away from their products.

kuntasensei

The bad thing is... I almost feel bad selling it to anyone. The 3-year warranty is good until January, but considering how they handle things, I'd almost hate to sell it to anyone. It's a pretty solid little projector for someone wanting to get into projection though. With a new bulb, it should be pretty much like new with that new blue polarizer in it.

madmax

Why don't you just clean out the dust next time?

kuntasensei

madmax wrote: »

Why don't you just clean out the dust next time?

Heh... I will, sir! I will clean the hell out of that invisible non-existent dust! Seriously, if there is that much chance of dust infiltration when the filter never gets a speck on it, maybe they need to reevaluate their cooling design. I've always run it in the eco or A2 bulb modes, so the fan is typically in its lowest speed. Funny how they always try to pull that though. When I went through this with my PLV-Z3, there were a ton of people reporting the same exact story from them.

JimKellyfan

sounds like a log in to the local BBB to me
maybe the next time they will start treating customers humanely or close up

i have never had issue with Sony TV's, although I see you are in projector mode, i would assume the same, although Sony is very proud of their stuff.

i am an old TV repairman, and the Sony's I hardly ever worked on.

AsSiMiLaTeD

JimKellyfan wrote: »

sounds like a log in to the local BBB to me
maybe the next time they will start treating customers humanely or close up

i have never had issue with Sony TV's, although I see you are in projector mode, i would assume the same, although Sony is very proud of their stuff.

i am an old TV repairman, and the Sony's I hardly ever worked on.

Good to know, except that this post is about SANYO, not Sony

kuntasensei

Turns out I was just being paranoid about it being a different bulb. I yanked it out this morning to try my old bulb and saw the white streak I remembered being there. However, I put in my old bulb that was still working when I replaced it... same problem. Yellow Lamp Replace light, red warning light. The manual says that means there's an internal error and to call Sanyo.

When I called, he asked me if the lens door shuts all the way when this happens, and I told him no. His response was "Hmmm... okay." So I asked, "Why? What does that mean?" He said, "It's not important." (REALLY? THEN WHY DID YOU ASK?) Then, he told me that if I send it back in and it turns out to be the bulb, they have to charge me for shipping. I told him that I was pretty sure that both bulbs didn't magically stop working on their own, and that the warning light coming on should be proof enough that it's not the bulb, at least according to the troubleshooting section of the manual.

It's a good thing I have the Epson 8500UB during all this crap, or I'd be a lot more pissed about it. Fingers crossed that I eventually get it back fixed and can sell it to someone... 'cause it's a pretty decent home theater projector when it works.

Ricardo

Sorry to hear about it. Once you get it back, just send it to me. I will pay shipping.

pitdogg2

That also reminds me of Denon Service. I had bought Denon 2900 player from Crutchfield and 6mo later the drawer locked shut one day. I had only used this player about 20 hours. So i call Denon CS to send in for repair get all the details and send it off double boxed well packed bombproof so to speak. Three months later I get it back in a single box with no packing what so ever. To say it was broke would be a under statement. I called CS kept my words pleasant told them how unhappy i was and how i would not pay to ship it back to them because of the careless packing they had used. The Rep on the other end told me it was not their problem that it was a shipping problem talk to UPS. At that point i was more than PO'd. Long story short sent the 2900 back 2mo later got a call from Denon CS to tell my that the problem with my 1710DVD player was not covered under warranty. I then had to prove to them that I indeed had sent them a 2900 and that they broke. Good thing i had pictures of before and after so called repairs and my Crutchfield receipt. To say it was a NIGHTMARE would be an understatement.
So I feel your pain
The positive of this story was that I bought a 3910 from Listen-up audio for 400.00 brand new with warranty which at that point meant nothing to me because of my prior problems with Denon CS repair. Listen-up Rep told me to send to them if i had any problems as they would fix to avoid Denon service at all cost because they to had been screwed by Denon Repair service.

JimKellyfan

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

Good to know, except that this post is about SANYO, not Sony

I was putting in a future recommendation to assist was all.

kuntasensei

Ricardo wrote: »

Sorry to hear about it. Once you get it back, just send it to me. I will pay shipping.

Heh... I hear ya'. I figure I gotta' get at least $500 out of it though, so... no, sir.

kuntasensei

JimKellyfan wrote: »

I was putting in a future recommendation to assist was all.

Appreciate that. Like I said though, I have the Epson 8500UB now anyway... and their warranty service is freakin' awesome. Sanyo's just awful though. I thought maybe being bought by Panasonic would tighten them up, but apparently not.

JimKellyfan

I do have issue with Sony's STR-DN1000 though, as my recent post, " It Blowed up " states. Yes, I am to blame for maxing it out, however, if the claim was real, 110 wpc, then it should have never blown up. That said, Sony is still a good product, and I would buy again, unless of course it is a receiver.
Ha.

BIZILL

stop... you had me at "Sanyo".

gdb

I suggest that you send Sanyo's corporate offices and customer service department a link to this thread. Maybe it will surprise them, maybe not, it might just get you the service you've been seeking..........it might not. It certainly won't hurt to contact someone higher up the "food chain" and see if they care at all about your experiences.;)

kuntasensei

Finally heard back from Sanyo after my projector's second trip there. As it turns out, someone crimped the heat sensor for the bulb when they put my projector back together, which is why it was shutting down immediately upon power-up. The bulb was perfectly fine. Idiots. So much for their claim that it worked when they QC'd it. I should have it back tomorrow, check it out to make sure all is well, then put it up for sale to someone who wants to go projection on the cheap.

JimKellyfan

Good, hope it works out for all.
Might make a good karma.
kidding.

kuntasensei

JimKellyfan wrote: »

Good, hope it works out for all.
Might make a good karma.
kidding.

I considered that... but I think I may have a friend who wants to buy it quick for $500, so that's probably where it's gonna end up.